A rainbow forms at Bridalveil Falls in Yosemite national park, where tent cabins have been blamed in an outbreak of the deadly rodent-borne hantavirus disease. Photo: Reuters

The calls from concerned tourists have been coming in from as far away as China. Ever since an emergency line was set up on Tuesday at the Yosemite National Park after a recent outbreak of hantavirus, thousands of people around the world have contacted the Californian park.

Responding to questions about the rodent-borne disease, the half a dozen rangers manning the phones rattle off information. Calendars, news articles and park maps cover their tables.

"We're getting calls from worldwide," Paul Ollig, the park's deputy chief of interpretation, said. "A lot of them from California, but we're getting calls from the UK, we're getting calls from France, from China ... we haven't really seen much of a lull at all."

Public health authorities have traced six hantavirus cases to Yosemite, including two fatalities. Of the confirmed cases, five have been connected to the 91 "signature tent cabins" in Curry Village, one of the park's most popular campgrounds. The origin of the final reported case is still unclear.

The park has blamed the cases on a design flaw in the signature tent cabins, which are now closed indefinitely as an investigation continues.

Yosemite officials have sent letters or e-mails to about 3,100 people who reserved one of the signature tent cabins between June 10 and August 24. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said 10,000 people stayed in the cabins during that time and risked contracting the disease.

Yosemite is already feeling the effects. Although park spokesman Scott Gediman said there wasn't a noticeable dip in the 75,000 or so visitors expected during the busy Labour Day weekend, a spokeswoman for the concessionaire that handles lodging within the park says there was a 20 per cent cancellation rate on a weekend that should be sold out.